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Press Release

Three Sentenced for Roles in Mortgage Fraud Scheme

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Virginia

RICHMOND, Va. – Marvin Leon Clair, 61, of Richmond, Virginia, was sentenced today to sixty months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for Conspiring to Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Making False Statements to FDIC-Insured Institutions.  He was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,770,670.72.  Two other defendants were also sentenced on charges arising from the same scheme.  Janelle Irene Davis, 47, of Waynesboro, Virginia, and Jeffrey Paul Evans, 53, of Waldorf, Maryland, were each sentenced to one day of incarceration followed by three years of supervised release and seven months of home detention for, respectively, Conspiring to Commit Mail Fraud, Wire Fraud, and Make False Statements to FDIC-Insured Institutions and Bank Fraud.  Davis was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $818,978 and Evans was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $777,283.  
      
Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Adam Lee, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Richmond Field Office; Cary Rubenstein, Special-Agent-in-Charge of the HUD-OIG Philadelphia Field Office; Gary Barksdale, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Douglas S. Mease, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Richmond Field Office, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. Senior District Judge Robert E. Payne.

Clair pled guilty on September 10, 2014.  Davis pled guilty on February 25, 2014.  Evans pled guilty on February 7, 2014.  According to court documents, Clair, Davis, and Evans were all involved in a scheme to obtain mortgage loans by making false statements about income, assets, and liabilities on loan applications and about the disposition of closing proceeds on HUD-1 settlement statements.  Many of the transactions were closed by Walter L. Hooker, a Richmond attorney.  Hooker was charged with Conspiracy to Commit Bank Fraud via criminal information, but died before adjudication of that charge. 
Two other defendants have been sentenced on charges arising from this scheme.  On October 27, 2014, Tiffany Nicole Robinson was sentenced to time-served followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $352,975 in restitution.  On March 18, 2014, Magarette Stanton, who was employed in Hooker’s office, was sentenced to five years of probation and ordered to pay $204,803.04 in restitution. 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Department of Housing and Urban Development—Office of Inspector General; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and U.S. Secret Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael C. Moore is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 3:13-mj-447, 3:13-cr-172, 3:14-cr-14, and 3:14-cr-168.
Updated March 24, 2015